Most Influential Athletes Who Have Abused Medications

Professional athletes put their bodies through rigorous activity and stress. As a result, it is not uncommon to see athletes sustaining serious injuries. Even minor injuries sustained by professional athletes can require prescription drugs to minimize pain, reduce swelling and improve recovery time. Athletes who want to improve their performance have many times opted to use steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, which is against league regulations.

The problem is that using too much of these medications or steroids can easily lead to addiction in any individual, regardless of whether he or she is a professional athlete. Out of all the athletes who have abused medications, steroids or performance-enhancing drugs, here are a few of the most influential:

Lance Armstrong

Internationally-renowned cyclist, Lance Armstrong, ended up being stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles and his 2000 Olympic bronze medal after finally admitting to his abuse of performance-enhancing drugs. While many wanted to believe Armstrong over the years when he vehemently denied allegations that he had been using testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormones or been involved in blood doping, the truth was finally revealed.

Barry Bonds

While Barry Banks is still considered to be one of baseball’s greatest players, and ESPN lists him as third among their all time Hall of 100, Bonds’ record is likely to remain tarnished due to his alleged steroid abuse. In addition to Bonds, Fox Sports reports Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza and numerous others also missed out on opportunities to be inducted into the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame as a result of their connections to baseball’s performance-enhancing drug scandal.

Brett Favre

Retired NFL quarterback, Brett Favre, is probably best known for leading the Green Bay Packers to victory during Super Bowl XXXI. Favre also received recognition three consecutive years in a row as the league’s MVP. As a result of the numerous injuries he sustained on the field, Favre also became addicted to pain medication. According to his own account, it wasn’t until he suffered a seizure while recovering from surgery that he realized how severe his addiction to painkillers had become. Yahoo! Sports reports it was at this point Favre elected to voluntarily enter the league’s substance-abuse program. Favre is now endorsing a new pain-relief cream.

Lyle Alzado

According to USA Today, Lyle Alzado became an NFL legacy primarily due to the recognition he gained as being the “poster boy for steroid abuse in the league” back in the 80s. This is not to say Alzado wasn’t a star athlete or a genuinely good person, as by all accounts, he was a dedicated player who proudly championed many children’s causes during the course of his life. The unfortunate fact is, he was also addicted to steroids and human growth hormones, which Alzado claimed led to contracting terminal brain cancer.

Are Players from the NFL and Other Professional Sports Organizations Being Propped Up by Painkillers?

Over the years, many players have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, steroids, growth hormones and other chemical enhancers to improve their playing abilities. With the number of injuries players sustain it would not be surprising to find that players from the NFL and other professional sports organizations are being propped-up by painkillers. An EPSN study revealed that 71 percent of the retired players who used prescription drugs while playing professional sports admitted to misusing pain medications.

In an effort to crack down on alleged abuse in the NFL, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reportedly conducted surprise inspections back in November to find out whether medical and training staff were in violation of laws governing drugs prescribed to kill pain. Only time will show what other actions will be taken towards eliminating abuse and misuse of painkillers, steroids and other medications by professional athletes.